From Theory of Mind to Theory of Environment: Counterfactual Simulation of Latent Environmental Dynamics
This addresses the challenge of adapting motor control in complex environments for humans, but it is incremental as it builds on existing Theory of Mind concepts.
The paper tackles the problem of how humans infer hidden environmental dynamics from social cues to enable behavioral innovation, proposing a 'Theory of Environment' that expands motor exploration dimensionality.
The vertebrate motor system employs dimensionality-reducing strategies to limit the complexity of movement coordination, for efficient motor control. But when environments are dense with hidden action-outcome contingencies, movement complexity can promote behavioral innovation. Humans, perhaps uniquely, may infer the presence of hidden environmental dynamics from social cues, by drawing upon computational mechanisms shared with Theory of Mind. This proposed "Theory of Environment" supports behavioral innovation by expanding the dimensionality of motor exploration.